Women In The STEM Field

“If you feel like you don’t fit or belong—for whatever reasons—your satisfaction is bound to be lower because not only is it human nature to want to belong ... it is crucial for getting tenure” (Trower). This is a common feeling women face in today society. Women have been in the work field for years dating back to the World Wars. They have changed the world for the better, organizing powerful movements in order to create more of an equal playing ground for females in society. Many women are breaking the traditional norms and changing the stereotype of what women should do or be. Lately, with all the barriers women have been breaking some people start to wonder, why isn’t there more women or equality in the STEM field? There are a lot of factors

Stereotypes form from a young age and follow a child to adulthood. Stereotypes can indeed affect how a women feels about the STEM field, and also what others think. Stereotypes play a big role in this concept, and so does the common idea that the STEM field not all that inviting to women, As said by Mrs. Gilbreath a graduate from the University of Vermont,

“One of the many reasons women may not choose to enter into STEM fields is because they are male-dominated and not welcoming to women. There are several factors that make careers in STEM more challenging for women. These include the impact of negative stereotypes on women’s abilities to perform math and science, attitudes from educators and peers, and assumptions of employers.”(Gilbreath, page

Sexism works hand in hand with negative stereotypes. People carry with them negative stereotypes about women without noticing it. Sexism is not new to women it is something that women have been dealing with, for centuries. “Sexism is a real current issue that cannot be ignored. Sexism makes it difficult for women to pursue a career about which they are interested. Having more women, in STEM fields would also “lessen occupational segregation and reduce the level of gender inequality in the labor force” (Xie and Shauman, 2005, p. 4)”(page 5). If more women enter the STEM area, it can actually benefit the community of women . Not only will it give women more of a voice, but it could reduce inequality. Along with Inequality in the social spectrum, Women also deal with inequality in the health area.“So what difference does it make when there is a lack of women in science? For one, it means women might not get the quality of healthcare that men receive”( Del Giudice). Many women may not know that they are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to health care treatments. If more women don’t enter the STEM field, than men will always get the long end of the stick. Most experiments are done on male subjects, and never fully tested on female subjects whose bodies react differently to males . Because of this Women are not getting the full treatment and list of